Question

The scattering of light by colloidal particles is called :

• A. Brownian movement
• B. Electrophoresis
• C. Osmosis
• D. Tyndall effect

Answer 1

Answer:

D. Tyndall effect

Tyndall Effect

• The scattering of a beam of light as it passes through a colloidal solution or a fine suspension is known as the Tyndall effect.

• Colloidal particles are large enough to scatter light in all directions, making the path of the light beam visible. True solutions do not exhibit this effect because their particles are too small to scatter light.

• This phenomenon is named after the 19th-century Irish scientist John Tyndall, who studied it extensively.

• Examples in Nature:

  • The visibility of a beam of light entering a dusty room through a small hole.

  • The appearance of the blue color of the sky, which is a related scattering phenomenon (Rayleigh scattering).

  • The scattering of light by canopy trees in a dense forest (often called the 'Tyndall effect' in forest settings).